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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
‘The child was born into silence. Initially the midwife believed her to be stillborn.’
The third instalment in Ms Warwick’s Four Winds series is inspired by both the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo and the fairytale Sleeping Beauty. And yes, I really enjoyed it. I have only just finished reading ‘The West Wind’ and while I didn’t enjoy it as much as ‘The North Wind’, I am hooked on this series.
This fantasy story takes us to the kingdom of Ammara, where Princess Sarai believes that she has less than three months to live. She is cursed, she believes, to die on her twenty-fifth nameday. Her father, the king, is ill. Her older brother, the heir, is dead. Her remaining brother, recently married, is preparing for rule. But the kingdom is under threat, and the king has arranged a marriage for Sarai to Prince Balior, from a neighbouring kingdom.
But … Sarai has feelings for Notus, the South Wind, whom her father has invited back to Ammara to help protect Sarai against the evil of the Darkwalkers. Sarai and Notus were previously lovers and while she has not forgiven him for leaving her, she announces a fake engagement to him when she has reason to question Prince Balior’s motives.
The scene is set for a fast-moving fantasy romance which involves several different quests as well as great danger posed by both the Darkwalkers and the horrors of the labryrinth within the place grounds.
The heroism of both Sarai and Notus held my attention, as did the several quests that Sarai undertakes in search of self-knowledge and truth. And, of course, both Sarai and Notus have kept secrets from each other which may have made life so much easier had they been shared.
And now I wait, patiently, for ‘The East Wind’: the final book in this series.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The third instalment in Ms Warwick’s Four Winds series is inspired by both the Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo and the fairytale Sleeping Beauty. And yes, I really enjoyed it. I have only just finished reading ‘The West Wind’ and while I didn’t enjoy it as much as ‘The North Wind’, I am hooked on this series.
This fantasy story takes us to the kingdom of Ammara, where Princess Sarai believes that she has less than three months to live. She is cursed, she believes, to die on her twenty-fifth nameday. Her father, the king, is ill. Her older brother, the heir, is dead. Her remaining brother, recently married, is preparing for rule. But the kingdom is under threat, and the king has arranged a marriage for Sarai to Prince Balior, from a neighbouring kingdom.
But … Sarai has feelings for Notus, the South Wind, whom her father has invited back to Ammara to help protect Sarai against the evil of the Darkwalkers. Sarai and Notus were previously lovers and while she has not forgiven him for leaving her, she announces a fake engagement to him when she has reason to question Prince Balior’s motives.
The scene is set for a fast-moving fantasy romance which involves several different quests as well as great danger posed by both the Darkwalkers and the horrors of the labryrinth within the place grounds.
The heroism of both Sarai and Notus held my attention, as did the several quests that Sarai undertakes in search of self-knowledge and truth. And, of course, both Sarai and Notus have kept secrets from each other which may have made life so much easier had they been shared.
And now I wait, patiently, for ‘The East Wind’: the final book in this series.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
I have been excited about this series since I first picked up The North Wind last year and devoured it in a few days. I fell in love with Alexandria Warwick’s writing, and the world she had built in the first book of the Four Winds series. Little did I know that each book that followed would feel like en entirely new world.
In the third book, which can be read as a standalone, we are introduced to Sarai, a princess who is cursed by the Lord of the Mountain to only live until her 25th name day. The story ties together the myth of Minos and Sleeping Beauty.
While navigating grief and her own feelings of inadequacy and lack of freedom, Sarai is faced with the return of her ex, Notus. Notus is the god of the South Wind, and is the third brother of the Four Winds we meet in this series.
Ammara feels atmospheric, rich and golden, and completely distinct from the other settings in the series. The side characters also help to make this world feel real. Roshar, in particular, stands out. I think I want to read an entire book about him.
Sarai is wonderfully flawed. She’s stubborn, insecure, and makes incredibly relatable missteps and bad decisions. There’s a complex web of emotions and insecurities that have led her to this point in her life, and her attempts to untangle and make sense of herself in order to move forward are, at times, emotionally intense.
As for Notus… I’m not sure how, because each of the Four Winds is incredibly distinct from the other, but somehow they’re all my favourite. Notus feels like peak ‘man written by a woman’ to me. I love him. He’s hot. I don’t know how else to say it.
Their love feels steamy and rich and helps balance the emotional intensity with something warm and romantic.
Time is taken to lay the foundations at the beginning of the story so that the world is well established when the plot really takes off. Reading the second half of this book flew by and I couldn’t put it down.
Sarai’s grief, her feelings of inadequacy, and her lack of freedom create a moving emotional core. Watching her untangle her own identity was powerful.
This is a lush, emotional, romantic fantasy with both character depth and wonderful worldbuilding. Alexandria Warwick continues to impress me, and I’ll read anything she writes.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My least favourite of the series so far, a slow burn second chance romance in a desert city between Princess Sarai of Ammara and Notus, the South Wind.
Not as emotive as the previous two, I wasn't as invested in the plot or character tension and the age old "protagonists should have just communicated" trope is heavy handed
Not as emotive as the previous two, I wasn't as invested in the plot or character tension and the age old "protagonists should have just communicated" trope is heavy handed
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
25 years ago a desperate King took his sickly newborn daughter to the Lord of the Mountain and begged for him to save her life. A deal was made, but not all was as it seemed. The deal had a hidden curse which promised that the girl, Princess Sarai, would perish on her 25th name day throwing her kingdom into chaos and ruin. This curse however, was kept secret from all but Sarai and her father, the King. Now as her 25th name day approaches her father has promised her hand in marriage to Prince Balior, a young nobleman from a neighboring kingdom, in the hopes that the Prince can find a way to break the curse and save his daughter and the kingdom. Sarai has secrets of her own though, and when her ex, the South Wind and immortal god returns, Sarai devises a plan to avoid the marriage to Prince Balior. In spite of her distrust and anger towards her ex, Sarai must somehow team up with the South Wind to save herself and her city from certain destruction. At the heart of all the secrets lies a Labyrinth whose resident was imprisoned as part of the bargain made with the Lord of the Mountain, and Prince Balior's interest seems more deceptive than it appears. As the city suffers from drought and poor crop yield, and as her father wastes away, can Sarai hide the truth of promises made and curses laid, while still solving the mystery before her 25th name day?
The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a Fantasy Romance set in a majestic landscape reminiscent of the Middle East. This is an interconnected stand alone set in the world of The Four Winds. While I did not read the first two books, I was graciously given an ARC by Saga Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this opportunity.
The setting is descriptive and beautiful with flowery prose that makes it easy to picture the world Alexandria is describing. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the main female character. I found her indecisive nature to be a repetitive issue that didn't really lead her to making strong decisions till three quarters of the way through the book. The main male character Notus, also known as the South Wind, was much better rounded and I loved how incredibly supportive he was of Sarai throughout the book. I also struggled with certain plot points as the story felt like it dragged at times, and at other points a sense of urgency was felt to be missing. In spite of the problems that I felt plagued the story, the love of music and reverence shown to the art that is playing the violin was palpable. It is obvious to any reader that the author is a musician first and foremost. The story itself has a musicality to it that surprisingly made me cry, as I have struggled with my own relationship with music. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tropes such as second chance romance, slow burn, fake engagement, and political intrigue.
My overall rating scale is as follows:
Setting 4/5 stars
Plot 2.5/5 stars
Characters 2.5/5 stars
Emotional Impact 3/5 stars
Overall Enjoyment 2.75/5 stars
Overall Rating 3/5 Stars
The South Wind by Alexandria Warwick is a Fantasy Romance set in a majestic landscape reminiscent of the Middle East. This is an interconnected stand alone set in the world of The Four Winds. While I did not read the first two books, I was graciously given an ARC by Saga Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for this opportunity.
The setting is descriptive and beautiful with flowery prose that makes it easy to picture the world Alexandria is describing. Unfortunately I was not a fan of the main female character. I found her indecisive nature to be a repetitive issue that didn't really lead her to making strong decisions till three quarters of the way through the book. The main male character Notus, also known as the South Wind, was much better rounded and I loved how incredibly supportive he was of Sarai throughout the book. I also struggled with certain plot points as the story felt like it dragged at times, and at other points a sense of urgency was felt to be missing. In spite of the problems that I felt plagued the story, the love of music and reverence shown to the art that is playing the violin was palpable. It is obvious to any reader that the author is a musician first and foremost. The story itself has a musicality to it that surprisingly made me cry, as I have struggled with my own relationship with music. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tropes such as second chance romance, slow burn, fake engagement, and political intrigue.
My overall rating scale is as follows:
Setting 4/5 stars
Plot 2.5/5 stars
Characters 2.5/5 stars
Emotional Impact 3/5 stars
Overall Enjoyment 2.75/5 stars
Overall Rating 3/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars - I absolutely love The Four Winds series! This one had such a different setting, and vibe than the ither two. I really enjoyed the second chance romance in this book. It definitely felt steamier than the other two to me. I loved the side characters, and the atmospheric setting. The sailers and the action related to the sand storms were really interesting to read. I understand where the plot went related to music and battling demons, but it felt so different from the other books and I found that a little distracting. Maybe it was a mixture of pulling from so many stories, and the fact that it was left open ended. Overall I liked it, but it wasn’t my favorite in the series.
Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy!
Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy!
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you so much to Saga Press and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I truly enjoyed the North Wind immensely, and that made me so excited for the rest of the series, but the next two books haven't quite hit the same for me. This one specifically, I started skimming from around 60%, although I did enjoy the last 10% a lot, enough to bump up to a 3 stars.
Sarai frustrated me as a character, despite the fact that I wanted to love her. There's nothing that quite hits the way the "princess on a pedestal kicking ass and taking names to save her kingdom" trope does for me. Sarai....didn't really do that, and her decisions early on frustrated the crap out of me because if she would just SAY WORDS to people everything could have been avoided. Notus was definitely the less frustrating of the two, and I did like him significantly more than The East Wind in book two.
To be fair, I'm not huge on second chance romances to begin with, and add in the blatant miscommunication from pretty early on, I just was struggling to stay engaged. I'll read the last book for the sake of finishing the series, but for me we definitely peaked with Wren and Boreas.
I truly enjoyed the North Wind immensely, and that made me so excited for the rest of the series, but the next two books haven't quite hit the same for me. This one specifically, I started skimming from around 60%, although I did enjoy the last 10% a lot, enough to bump up to a 3 stars.
Sarai frustrated me as a character, despite the fact that I wanted to love her. There's nothing that quite hits the way the "princess on a pedestal kicking ass and taking names to save her kingdom" trope does for me. Sarai....didn't really do that, and her decisions early on frustrated the crap out of me because if she would just SAY WORDS to people everything could have been avoided. Notus was definitely the less frustrating of the two, and I did like him significantly more than The East Wind in book two.
To be fair, I'm not huge on second chance romances to begin with, and add in the blatant miscommunication from pretty early on, I just was struggling to stay engaged. I'll read the last book for the sake of finishing the series, but for me we definitely peaked with Wren and Boreas.
I was excited to request this ARC because I enjoyed The North Wind - unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one as much as I remember enjoying the 1st book. This was an okay afternoon read - the story was enjoyable enough to continue reading but it had a mix of good points/bad points rather than being average across the board.
✔ I really liked that the MMC wasn’t expected to “read her mind” - i.e., the FMC didn’t get a “pass” for being angry without explaining her reasoning and emotional reaction. I appreciate when this happens in romance novels because it is far more real to life and reads as adults coming to terms with their emotions rather than issues being swept under the rug of love.
✔ The portrayal of grief felt very poignant and real - of course the things you love can be distant or fail to bring joy following grief and that’s very normal.
✔ Similarly, the family dynamics, as messy as they were, also felt very well written and carefully considered. Love doesn’t prevent us from making bad decisions or making mistakes.
✔ Notus is lovely, I enjoyed him a lot.
✖ The FMC, Sarai, spent a lot of the book being very “will I, won’t I” - it was somewhat frustrating. It is understandable she was working through some emotions but at times it read as annoying and childish, especially given the stakes of the situation.
✖ The story pulled a lot of beats/ideas/references from other stories such as Sleeping Beauty, and the myths about the Minotaur/Daphne and Apollo - the references were recognizable but at a certain point, they weren’t adding anything to the narrative. It sometimes felt like Warwick was simply using them to use them, rather than carefully selecting myths/fairy tales that are familiar to us to reinforce the themes of the story.
3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
✔ I really liked that the MMC wasn’t expected to “read her mind” - i.e., the FMC didn’t get a “pass” for being angry without explaining her reasoning and emotional reaction. I appreciate when this happens in romance novels because it is far more real to life and reads as adults coming to terms with their emotions rather than issues being swept under the rug of love.
✔ The portrayal of grief felt very poignant and real - of course the things you love can be distant or fail to bring joy following grief and that’s very normal.
✔ Similarly, the family dynamics, as messy as they were, also felt very well written and carefully considered. Love doesn’t prevent us from making bad decisions or making mistakes.
✔ Notus is lovely, I enjoyed him a lot.
✖ The FMC, Sarai, spent a lot of the book being very “will I, won’t I” - it was somewhat frustrating. It is understandable she was working through some emotions but at times it read as annoying and childish, especially given the stakes of the situation.
✖ The story pulled a lot of beats/ideas/references from other stories such as Sleeping Beauty, and the myths about the Minotaur/Daphne and Apollo - the references were recognizable but at a certain point, they weren’t adding anything to the narrative. It sometimes felt like Warwick was simply using them to use them, rather than carefully selecting myths/fairy tales that are familiar to us to reinforce the themes of the story.
3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you so much to Netgalley, as well as Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All my thoughts and feeling are my own! I don’t think any book I have read recently has touched me so deeply and so profoundly as this one has. The amount of tears I have shed & the amount of emotional damage that was done to me over the course of this book has left me in utter shambles. That being said, I can not recommend this book more. This is probably my favorite one throughout the entire series, if not my favorite read of 2025 (so far).
While this book is a little slow to start, it quickly picks up it’s pace when the stakes start to raise. Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than 3 months to live. The clock is ticking down to her 25th name day and the curse is soon to take her. She is under an immense amount of pressure from her ailing father to help him secure the for their kingdom, as well as potentially save herself by marrying Prince Bailor from one of their neighboring kingdoms. Sarai was on board to do this, if only to save her kingdom from the darkwalkers, as well as the beast lurking inside the labyrinth but who should re-appear? Notus, the South Wind, the god of the desert breeze and the one responsible for shattering her heart years ago. When Sarai realizes that Prince Bailor’s intentions might be a farce, she swallows her feelings for Notus and announces their engagement to her father in an attempt to stop Prince Bailor. With darker forces at work and the clock ticking on Sarai’s demise, Notus and Sarai must work together to solve the puzzle and solve the mystery of the labyrinth.
The imagery of this book was utterly breath taking! The attention to detail sucked me right in, transporting me right into the kingdom of Ammara. The vibes that this story gave, it almost felt like I was in Arabian Nights. The plot was a whirlwind (heh, get it?)! The mystery of the labyrinth, the curse placed upon Sarai, the past relationship between Notus & Sarai? I NEEDED TO KNOW! I NEEDED THE ANSWERS! Not to mention the character growth, especially Sarai’s. Sarai’s grief was so profound that she built up so many walls, turned away things that she was passionate about & became a totally different person in an attempt to deal with the emotional turmoil she was put through. For me, it was hard to ignore the similarities between her and I. The way she learns to trust again, not just Notus but herself and her voice, after everything she’s been through had me choking back the tears. The themes of grief, abandonment and the crushing weight of feeling like you’re never enough hit home for me in a way I have not experienced in a book in so long, it left me speechless and craving more. Let’s not forget Notus & how he finally, FINALLY, let’s his feelings for her be known. After years of second guessing and thinking she wasn’t enough, their story was nothing short of beautiful.
I can not recommend this series, let alone this book enough. Each time I step into one of these worlds, I know I’m in for an adventure!
Tropes:
Sleeping Beauty/Daphne & Apollo retelling
Second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
“Touch her and D—”
While this book is a little slow to start, it quickly picks up it’s pace when the stakes start to raise. Princess Sarai of Ammara has less than 3 months to live. The clock is ticking down to her 25th name day and the curse is soon to take her. She is under an immense amount of pressure from her ailing father to help him secure the for their kingdom, as well as potentially save herself by marrying Prince Bailor from one of their neighboring kingdoms. Sarai was on board to do this, if only to save her kingdom from the darkwalkers, as well as the beast lurking inside the labyrinth but who should re-appear? Notus, the South Wind, the god of the desert breeze and the one responsible for shattering her heart years ago. When Sarai realizes that Prince Bailor’s intentions might be a farce, she swallows her feelings for Notus and announces their engagement to her father in an attempt to stop Prince Bailor. With darker forces at work and the clock ticking on Sarai’s demise, Notus and Sarai must work together to solve the puzzle and solve the mystery of the labyrinth.
The imagery of this book was utterly breath taking! The attention to detail sucked me right in, transporting me right into the kingdom of Ammara. The vibes that this story gave, it almost felt like I was in Arabian Nights. The plot was a whirlwind (heh, get it?)! The mystery of the labyrinth, the curse placed upon Sarai, the past relationship between Notus & Sarai? I NEEDED TO KNOW! I NEEDED THE ANSWERS! Not to mention the character growth, especially Sarai’s. Sarai’s grief was so profound that she built up so many walls, turned away things that she was passionate about & became a totally different person in an attempt to deal with the emotional turmoil she was put through. For me, it was hard to ignore the similarities between her and I. The way she learns to trust again, not just Notus but herself and her voice, after everything she’s been through had me choking back the tears. The themes of grief, abandonment and the crushing weight of feeling like you’re never enough hit home for me in a way I have not experienced in a book in so long, it left me speechless and craving more. Let’s not forget Notus & how he finally, FINALLY, let’s his feelings for her be known. After years of second guessing and thinking she wasn’t enough, their story was nothing short of beautiful.
I can not recommend this series, let alone this book enough. Each time I step into one of these worlds, I know I’m in for an adventure!
Tropes:
Sleeping Beauty/Daphne & Apollo retelling
Second chance romance
Arranged marriage
Fake engagement
Forced proximity
“Touch her and D—”